Raine Island

Hosting the largest green turtle rookery in the world, Raine Island is an excellent dive site to encounter dozens of turtles. Located off Cape York in the Far Northern Reefs, Raine Island is a very special dive site that is only visited on a long range liveaboard dive boat. While you are not allowed on this protected coral cay, you can explore its fringing reef, where coral gardens and plunging walls await.

While pretty hard coral can be seen in the shallows, the walls at Raine Island are decorated with large gorgonians, sea whips, whip corals and black coral trees. Turtles are seen in abundance at Raine Island, either sleeping on the bottom or cruising the walls. Sharks are also common at Raine Island, especially grey reef sharks and whitetip reef sharks, but tiger sharks also frequent the reef to feed on sick or injured turtles. Raine Island is also a good place to see Maori wrasse and pelagic fish like barracuda, trevally, mackerel, tuna and rainbow runners.